Beer: Ratings & Reviews

Reviews by almychristopher:

Crystal clear reddish brown with a nice off white head. Very nice. The aroma isn't overwhelming but there's a nice bit of malt. It's a mighty tasty beverage with a great balance of hop, spice and malt. The mouthfeel is nice a bit heavy for more than a couple but over all a wonderful beer.

More User Reviews:

4/5 rDev +6.4%look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Poured a roasted nut brown with a tinge of burnt orange,a fliffy off white head atop.A nice mix of roasted nuts,vanilla,cinnamon,and fruitiness in the nose,well rounded malt complexity.Roasty and even a little raw earthy on the palate,very light sweetness with some vanilla and cinnamon-like qualities in the back end.I tried this a few years back and I don't recall liking it as much as I do now,its a solid well rounded winter warmer that is not overly spiced and/or sweet.

It pours a translucent amber with a few dispersed soapy bubbles hanging out for a while. The aroma is nutty, husky, and I think I detect a little plastic, though it might be too cold. Mouthfeel is soft and pillowy, but it starts out a little spritzy like the first sip of a soda. Taste is initially bitter and tart. That fades for a second allowing some fruit in, but hops kick in and it finishes pretty hoppy for a winter warmer. I liked a few others this season above Prelude, but I had heard good things about years past, so I will try it again next year, or see how it is with a little age.

Dark reddish-brown color with a good head. A pleasant spicy smell to it, in contrast to their Pumpkinhead. It has a hoppy-spicy-chocolate flavor, which is very appealing. A good feel in my mouth. An excellent seasonal beer.

I also didn't know it was 7.5% ABV until a local pub told me I had to have a smaller serving because of the alcohol content. Tou'd never tell by it's taste.

Presentation: 12oz brown long neck twist off with a best enjoyed before date clearly marked.

Appearance: Clear and bright dark garnet colour with a cake like head that floats on top and leaves lace all over.

Smell: Big aroma of butterscotch ... on the sweet side with hints of floral hop. There is even a touch of chocolate in the nose ... smells like ice cream drowning in butterscotch and a little hot fudge.

Taste: Silky smooth with a buttery malty mouth feel. Full bodied and rich in flavour with a biscuity and caramel malt sweetness ... there is even a hint of chocolate more towards the finish. Sizeable fresh juicy fruit falvour in the middle amonst the esters. Just enough hops to cut into the big malt character ... hop seem to linger for a bit. Residual sugar in the end with a leaf like hop flavour on the side and remnants of the buttery diacetyl.

Notes: Lots of great winter ales to come from the NE ... this one surely sits somewhere on the best of the best list.

Pours a perfectly clear, dark reddish-brown with a big tan head. Aroma is a little fruity with a hint of alcohol. The taste becomes softer and more rounded as it warms. Its slightly sweet at first but then turns bitter with a little alcoholic finish. The alcohol provides a nice warming effect. Mouthfeel is quite smooth. Drinkability is good but I wouldn't go beyond a couple of these. Overall, a nice beer to have on a cold winter night.

Dark tea color, a thin beige head rises up slightly and disappears quickly. Aroma is rich malt, a little sweet, some fruit, cinnamon and cotton candy. Mouthfeel is fairly smooth, a little tingly, perhaps a tad overcarbonated. Flavor is initially pungent with alcohol overpowering other flavors, a little stringent, but malt and plum emerge, as do sharp cinnamon and orange peel. Gets richer as it warms, but a little sweet, sort of syrupy and chewy. Spruce tips emerge, as do clove and frankensense, rounding out the holiday flavors.

Pours a clear brown with a springy café colored head. Smells very weakly of nutty malt.

The taste is somewhat unremarkable. A little bit of caramel malt with some of that ever-repetitive Shipyard diacetyl. Not a unique brew by any stretch. The malts give way to a weak hop finish. I’m just a little bit disappointed that this tastes like a lot of other Shipyard beers.

Poured from twist-off bottle into becker pint glass. Pours deep garnet red with a thin cap of loose foam that fades quickly to a loose rim of bubbles, leaving some lacing on the glass. Smells like...vinegar? Upon a second examination as it warms I can tell that that smell is more butterscotch. Taste is strong sweet malts, surprisingly a bit boozy for the relatively low % (at least compared to other "stronger" beers), and a bit of hop bitterness at the end coupled with leftover spiciness. Not sure if I enjoy this style, but it'd definitely be more enjoyable on a cold winter night (instead of the middle of June).

The taste has a solid backbone of malt character (caramel, crystal, roasted) with nice fruit flavors ranging from pear to raisin to dark plum. There is a candy-sweetness that is present but not overbearing. Bittering hops are present in the finish.

Mouthfeel is quite nice: well carbonated, med to full, slightly creamy and sticky with a bit of a dry finish. ABV % is present throughout, slightly in the nose and more pronounced in the taste.

Pours a deep clear mahogany with a small, short-lived tan head; nonetheless decent lacing was left on my snifter. Aroma is rather light and subtle but this is a flavorful ale. The nose is rather sweet with a clear note of vanilla and some fruitiness over the malts. The flavor is sweet up front, balanced in the finish, and mildly bitter in the lingering vanilla-tinted, aftertaste which suggests roasted nuts and dark bread with a trace of cinnamon. Medium-full, smooth, warming feel. Higher ABV not hidden.

O: a well-crafted winter warmer that is not overly spiced, too sweet, or boozy.

T - taste was overwhelmingly bad. The initial sip held promise showcasing some decent malt and light spice characteristics, but after about a second a stale, adjuct malt taste settled in and ruined the palate.

M - middle of the road with adequate carbonation

O - I was wildly disappointed in this brew given the ratings and despite the freshness date being quite a ways out in the future I can't help but think something happened to the batch I picked up. I will have to revisit again, next year, to hopefully revise.

The color is a sort of deep brownish-red with a touch of a lighter bronze in the light. This brew forms a sizeable and well-retained off-white head that leaves good lacing in pathces well down the glass.Aromas are backed mostly by malts with a light balance of hops, which in my opinion is best for what a winter warmer should be attempting. There's definitely some diacetly at play, but it seems to be intentional, playing off notes of chocolate and grains, perhaps a touch of caramel, and adding a bit of balance to some fruit flavors as well.Fruits come out stronger in the flavor; some notes of sweet, dark fruits like cherry. Caramel and butterscotch add to the sweetness without cloying and are expertly balanced by just enough floral and citic hops bitterness to keep it in check. Malts are strong and consistent all the way through, and a variety makes for nice complexity. Well done.The mouthfeel is fairly rich and full without being too heavy, carbonated at just about the right level and chewy most of the way through. The finish is long and smooth.This may be the best of the style I've tried, and my new go-to winter warmer.